It’s great that pretty much anything can happen on an iphone or tablet these days. Apps make life easier and keep us occupied with our phones for hours on end. There’s been a lot of talk around Zillow and Redfin lately and people are pretty divided when it comes to deciding which app is better for house hunting or general property searches.
Both Zillow and Redfin are real estate software apps that are free to download on an iPhone or iPad. They offer users the ability to search local property listings based on current location or by inputting the intended zip code. Zillow and Redfin deal exclusively with residential real estate but there are other options like LoopNet Commerical Real Estate Search that larger firms, like the Frank Haney Company, can take advantage of for on-the-go research.
While Redfin allows the user to search by property type (condo, apartment, house, etc) the Zillow rentals app defaults to searching by location and price.
Here’s what the Zillow home screen looks like:
You can choose the area for search, the price range, the number of beds and baths you desire, and any info about pets. You can also add keywords to illustrate your priorities (ie: pool, or roof deck).
Once your criteria have been entered, you click the green results bar and Zillow shows you everything that falls under your terms. Search results might look like this:
The Zillow rentals app shows homes and apartment units for rent only – nothing is for sale.
Redfin is a similar service but it includes all residential real estate – with an emphasis on homes for sale. The main interface allows the user to search nearby homes for sale, open houses, or recently sold.
Users can choose to view homes, townhouses, multi-family units, condominiums or land. This allows for a more targeted search.
Nearby homes will pop up on the map and the user can click to view more details about each property.
The additional information will appear at the top of the screen including an image (if applicable).
Both Zillow and Redfin are great apps to begin your home search, but if you’re more interested in commercial real estate, LoopNet might be the better program for you. Here’s what the welcome page looks like:
Industry leaders like Frank Haney typically rely on a team of researchers to investigate a property’s value but with programs like LoopNet, half the work is done on your behalf.
Take advantage of these free offerings available through your iPhone or iPad and try investing in property today.
